Delivering Real-Time Insights for Faster DoD Mission Planning

Project MERLIN: Turning Chaos into Clarity 

MetroStar's solution, the Multi-Modal Engine for Route Logistics Integration and Navigation (MERLIN), directly addresses one of the biggest challenges in military logistics: the reliance on manual, time-consuming processes that can’t keep up with real-world crises. 

Currently, logisticians depend on fragmented systems, spreadsheets, and institutional knowledge to make critical decisions. These tools often create single points of failure, slow down planning, and leave gaps in situational awareness. MERLIN changes that in three key ways: 

• Real-Time Insights – Fuses live data and intelligent algorithms to give planners instant access to statistical insights that cut through complexity. 

• Decision Confidence – Eliminates guesswork and provides fact-based recommendations that accelerate planning timelines. 

• Secure by Design – Built for deployment in air-gapped DoD environments and integrates seamlessly with secure data sources. 

To illustrate its power, MERLIN was modeled against a real-world crisis: the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. That single event halted traffic to a major U.S. port, disrupted global sea throughput, and required 78 days for full routing recovery. According to our partner experts, following traditional processes to reroute took between 8–24 hours. In testing, MERLIN showed it was capable of reducing reroutes to under 3 hours, giving decision-makers a decisive edge. MERLIN is a hybrid human-AI platform that transforms logistics from static spreadsheets into a continuous sight picture of the mission space, empowering commanders with speed and clarity. 

Under the hood, MERLIN is modern and adaptable as it: 

• Analyzes billions of data points. 

• Identifies abnormal traffic patterns against historical baselines. 

• Containerizes microservices architecture for scalability. 

• Uses a Natural Language Chat to enable intuitive human-machine interaction. 

• Is developed with hardened containers and secure API endpoints with zero vulnerabilities. 

Background: NDIA Hackathon 2025 + MERLIN  

MERLIN came to life through a Hackathon. Hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), their 2025 Hackathon was unlike any other. Over 50 teams from around the world gathered to address critical defense challenges. The event kicked off at George Mason University’s (GMU) FUSE facility—a state-of-the-art innovation hub—and concluded at NDIA’s  Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference & Exhibition. 

The goal was simple but ambitious: bring together warfighters and hackers, connecting Department of Defense (DoD) challengers with industry and academia, to build solutions in real time. This was more than coding sprints and pitch sessions—it was a global collaboration, fueled by urgency and the mission to strengthen national defense. 

MetroStar’s team “Scout” was a multidisciplinary group that integrated academic partners from GMU, logistics experts from the U.S. Air Force, and MetroStar technical experts. Scout focused on the challenge of contested logistics: enabling decision-makers to plan and execute missions effectively in complex, rapidly changing operational environments. 

Beyond the Code: Collaboration at Its Best 

What made Team Scout unique was not just the technology, but the people. The team brought together voices from industry, academia, and government into a single, unified effort. Daily stand-ups, paired programming sessions, and discovery workshops ensured everyone—from engineers to mission planners—had a voice in shaping the solution. 

MetroStar's human-centered design process focused on the mission planner’s mental model, ensuring usability wasn’t an afterthought but a core requirement. Intuitive workflows, customizable inputs, and feedback loops built into MERLIN make it a tool designed not just for effectiveness, but for real-world adoption. 

This spirit of collaboration reflected MetroStar’s broader ethos: solving complex challenges requires diversity of thought, shared vision, and relentless focus on mission impact. 

When the judges’ decisions came in, Team Scout placed fourth overall—just outside the top three winners. For some, that might have been the end of the story. But for MetroStar, the real victory was clear. We proved what’s possible when industry, government, and academia come together. Our team delivered a tool that not only impressed technically but has the potential to transform how warfighters plan and fight. The NDIA 2025 Hackathon was proof that when the right people unite around the right mission, innovation thrives. Team Scout embodied that spirit, showing that success isn’t measured by rankings but by solutions that create impact. 

MetroStar: Innovation with Purpose 

MetroStar has always believed in being a different kind of federal contractor. We lead with design, innovate like a startup, and execute like an industry leader. Our mission is clear: deliver bold, human-centered innovation that matters.  The MetroStar Innovation Lab embodies this philosophy. It’s an incubator where top designers, engineers, and changemakers collaborate to create industry-defining solutions. From shaping national security technologies to improving digital services for millions of Americans, our Lab transforms ideas into solutions that elevate missions and empower people. 

We live by four principles: 

• Innovate Fearlessly – Pushing boundaries in Edge AI, testing and evaluation, predictive analytics, and AI-driven code modernization. 

• Startup Speed – Turning ideas into mission-ready prototypes fast enough to keep pace with strategic global competition. 

• Scale Smarter – Delivering cutting-edge solutions that not only work but endure, helping agencies win and stay ahead of the curve. 

• Elevate Talent – Building elite teams and upskilling our people to lead across the toughest challenges. 

Looking Ahead 

The hackathon may be over, but MERLIN’s story is just beginning. Built on a scalable foundation, it can expand into new use cases, from air traffic to multi-domain operations. 

We’ll continue to push forward with fearless innovation, building on this momentum to ensure warfighters get the tools they deserve—tools that give them the advantage, reduce risks, and strengthen mission readiness. The future of defense innovation won’t be written by rankings alone. It will be written by solutions like MERLIN—and by the teams dedicated to building them. 

At MetroStar, we’re building the future of defense innovation. Learn more by visiting our Innovation Lab page.